Improvement in lifting-machines



UrrEn STATES CHARLES EoLBRooK MANN, oE ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.-

- IMPROVEMENT IN LIFTING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 104,9 73, dated July 5, 1870.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES HoLBRoox MANN, of Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Gymnastic Apparatus, called The Reactionary Lifter 5 and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of my improved reactionary lifter. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of one handle and lever connection.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new apparatus to be used for health exercise, and has particular relation to the construction and arrangement of a platform, so connected, by means of a lever or levers to a cross-bar or handles above the same, that a person standing upon the platform may, by pulling on said cross-bar or handles, attain such an ad-l vantage over his own weight, the weight of the platform, and the 'additional pressure of his feet upon the platform, caused by his effort at lifting, as to lift himself and platform.

rThis is intended to obviate the necessity of weights as at present used in the various Weight-lifting apparatus.

Theinvention consists, therefore, broadly, in the arrangement of an apparatus in which a platform secured in a set of levers can be elevated bya person occupying said platform by muscular action on said levers. i

A A and B B in the drawing are two pairs of levers, of which the lower pair B is the longer. Each lever A is supported at one end by the pivot a, which acts as a fulcrum, passing through the immovable uprights b ofthe main supporting-frame O., Each lever B is, in rear, secured in a forked strap, D, the lower end of which is pivoted to the bottom4 ofthe frame C. l E is the platform, suspended by two parallel iron straps, d, from the front end of the levers B B. F is a slotted slide, connecting each pair of levers A B together. This slide is adjustable, joining the levers at any desired point. G Gr are handles, which are pivoted to the outer or front end of the levers A, and perforated or otherwise so arranged as to be adjustable in height.

H H are two pairs of levers of the same length as A, connecting the iron straps d with the upright b, and acting as guides, both above and below the platform.

In Fig. l this machine is represented as being double, there being two sets of levers of each kind, the lifter standing between them.

In the operation of this machine, the person stands upon the platform E, and lifts by means of the handles G, pressing upon the platform with his feet in addition to his own weight, all of which he has to elevate by means of the handles. This arrangement of levers is such that a given amount of muscular power applied to the handles will overcome the weight of the person on the platform, the weight of the platform, and the additional pressure of the feet applied to the same by the exertion of lifting.

By varying the position of the slides F the amount of exertion necessary to elevate the weight may be regulated.

In this operation the guides El H hold the platform directly under the lifting-handles, the levers B accommodating themselves to their guidance by the moving of the strap D upon the pivot f. g are forked blocks projecting from the levers B to support the ends of A at rest.

It will be seen that the slides F constitute the means for raising the lever B, and that, consequently, the power may be regulated by adjusting said straps nearer to or farther away from the said handles.

Instead of a double set of levers, between which the-lifter stands, as in Fig. l, this aping upon the platform may then, by the advantage in leverage obtained by such anar,- rangement, `elevate his own Weight audimat of the platform.

The same object may also be accomplished I by means of levers bent in the shape of' a let-V ter L, or, in fact, by a large number of modifications.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters .Patent- 2 nouns 1. Ilhecombination of therlevers A B H, platfmm iE `,`l1ian1leeGf, and.; StrapsD d., all arrangedto operate as set forth.

2. The slides F, connecting the levers A B,

and'made adjustable for the purpose of regulating thev power, as specified.

CHARLES iHOIlBROOK. MANN. Witnesses:

GEQ- `W- .Mmm i TfB. MosHER. 

